George Pomutz
|died= |placeofbirth= Habsburg Empire in Gyula, Békés county, ethnic Romanians |placeofdeath= Saint Petersburg, Imperial Russia |placeofburial= Smolensk, Russia |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption= George Pomutz |allegiance= United States of America Union |branch= Union Army |serviceyears= |rank= Brevet Brigadier General |commands= |unit= |battles= American Civil War |awards= |laterwork= }} George Pomutz (English version of Gheorghe Pomuţ; May 31, 1818—October 12, 1882) was an ethnic Romanian, and Hungarian officer during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. He was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War, and a diplomat. Early life George Pomutz was born in the Habsburg Empire in Gyula, Békés county, a town with a strong ethnic Romanian population at that time. After the 1848 revolution, in which Pomutz took an active part, he migrated to America. Civil War At the beginning of the Civil War, Pomutz enrolled in the Union Army as a first lieutenant in the 15th Iowa Infantry. He was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh. In May 1864 Pomutz was appointed Provost Marshal of the 17th Iowa Infantry. In August 1864, he returned to the 15th Iowa Infantry, which he commanded in the Battle of Atlanta. He was appointed a brevet brigadier general on March 13, 1865.Eicher, p. 433. Trivia: During the Washington Parade, marking the end of the Civil War, the handsome General George Pomutz was awarded the special honour to open the Parade on a nice white horse. Postbellum career After the end of the Civil War, Pomutz returned to Keokuk. On February 16, 1866, he was appointed Consul of the United States in Saint Petersburg, Imperial Russia, serving in that capacity until September 30, 1870. During that period, he was involved in the negotiations for the Alaska Purchase. Later he became the American consul general in Saint Petersburg, serving from June 17, 1874, until his death there, in 1882. He was buried in Smolensk, Russia.The first Romanians in America by Vladimir F. Wertsman Tributes The Liberty ship [[List of Liberty ships: G#George M.–George S|SS George Pomutz]] was named after him. Launched August 3, 1944, the ship served till 1970. On August 14, 2004, a statue of Pomutz was unveiled at the Falling Asleep of the Ever-Virgin Mary Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio. Quotation , Hungary]] From the address by Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania, at a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress, July 15, 1998: See also *List of American Civil War generals References * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. Notes External links * Biography * History of Iowa's 15th Volunteer Regiment * 15th Iowa Infantry Roster - Civil War * Demetrius Dvoichenko-Markov, A Rumanian Priest in Colonial America, American Slavic and East European Review, Vol. 14, No. 3. (October, 1955), pp. 383–389. * [http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/134/Parish.htm Oldest Romanian Orthodox Parish in US Marks 100 Years of Ministry], Orthodox News, Vol. 6, No. 34, August 24, 2004 Category:Union Army generals Category:United States Army generals Category:People of Iowa in the American Civil War Category:Ambassadors of the United States Category:People of the Revolutions of 1848 Category:American people of Romanian descent Category:American people of Hungarian descent Category:Hungarian people of Romanian descent Category:People from Gyula Category:1818 births Category:1882 deaths hu:Pomucz György ro:George Pomuț